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The Adepts
"I will rise again." The Nazoreans are people reborn after death as immortals, tied on a metaphysical level to the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The Nazoreans have had a hand in shaping history and they remain among some of the strongest fighters for the forces of Light. AKA: Living Saints. Patriarch: Jesus of Nazareth. Signature Powers: The Names of God True Immortals The Enochians Facts: -Nazoreans are Revenants and Immortals. They were once dead and have returned from the afterlife, and they are now immortal. While they can be killed again through decapitation or piercing the heart, Nazoreans cannot die from old age. -Are strongest at dawn = Nazoreans experience an adrenaline high at dawn, granting them a half-hour of increased strength and stamina. This will occur even if they are inside or underground. -Nazoreans hold a Shekinah, a physical manifestation of God Himself, within their very bodies. -Can only be killed by piercing the heart = Jesus of Nazareth was stabbed through the heart with a spear. Subsequently, any wound that doesn't pierce a Nazorean's heart or sever his head will only wound him or put him in a semi-permanent coma (but he will eventually recover from even this). To kill a Nazorean the heart must be pierced or somehow cut open, even a nick will do, but the blow must sever the walls of the heart which act as the tabernacle for the Shekinah. Without the Shekinah, the Nazorean's soul is forced back to heaven - and their body collapses to the ground, a corpse once again. -Although Nazoreans cannot die except by decapitation or piercing the heart, and although they can heal extraordinarily fast if they expend Kenosis to do so, they still suffer normal drawbacks of human physiology upon damage. If they lose enough blood, they can fall unconscious. If they are hit hard enough on the head, they can enter shock or suffer amnesia, etc. -Immunity to Intense Light = Bright lights do not hurt the eyes of Nazoreans, even if a mortal's retinas would be burned out by the same intensity of light. Nazoreans are creatures of the Light, not the Darkness. -Night Blindness = Conversely, while Nazoreans are children of the Light and can see in it, they have reduced vision in very dim lighting or near Darkness. They aren't totally blind but definitely have a hard time making out shapes or movements in the dark. -Wedlock = Nazoreans have full reproductive capabilities, although offspring, if there are any, are born normal mortal babes. Most Nazoreans choose not to have children because of the awkwardness of raising a child who you will outlive by several lifetimes. -Run on Kenosis, a measure of their connection to Christ. A Nazorean's connection to his or her own Shekinah is called Kenosis. This refers to a Nazorean's spiritual state of affairs, since that is how he is connected to God. -Nazoreans are renowned for their endurance and ability to withstand damage that would kill most others. Nazorean bodies heal fast and thus can take more damage then most, their stamina is high even by Supernatural standards. -Are allergic to Olive Wood (causes sever blistering, inflammation with light contact; heavy contact causes bleeding and tissue damage). This strange weakness of the Nazoreans causes them to suffer irritating pain or even damage from the prolonged touch of olive wood. Thus, they avoid it. -Raised body temperature: Nazoreans can be made out in a crowd of people with thermal cameras, since The Shekinah causes their bodies to give off a greater amount of heat. -The Nazoreans are a huge Tribe with many branches going off in all sorts of directions. There are Nazorean fundamentalists, artsy types, liberal hippies, military professionals, scientists, etc. Nazoreans come in all shapes and sizes and professions. -The Nazoreans have only formally been around in the last two thousand years. Yet that time period has seen the rise of modern civilization and unprecedented technological advancement. Coincidence? -Some Nazoreans predate the time of Christ, since Christ appeared to many Old Testament characters. While often referred to as Proto-Nazoreans, this is only a semantic designation. These Proto-Nazoreans are the Enochians in the fullest sense. -Other Supernaturals can use Invocation to some extent, but only Nazoreans have the ability to invoke all of the Names of God. They believe this is because their Patriarch was The Word, the fullness of God's plan. -(The modern incarnation of the Nazoreans was formed from the amalgamation of two earlier projects). Invocation: Nazoreans can use the power of Invocation if they have Holy Names, Names which are so existentially empowered that the very act of speaking them affects reality itself. These Names are collected and protected by the Invokers who keep them listed in Litanies, often scrolls or books whose sole purpose is to list the Names and their nature and effects. Also known as Saint Sorcery, the powers of Invocation can be used by Storytellers to to accomplish any feat necessary to push the plot line ahead. A powerful Nazorean can accomplish supernatural effects of Biblical proportions. It needs to be stressed that Invocation is not magic, you don't put a coin into the machine and get the same thing out every time. Most Names, especially smaller, simpler ones, will produce the same effect time and again, but sometimes The Almighty might see fit to tweak the results and cause something different, for whatever reason. *If you're trying to create your own Holy Names but can't think up any new ideas as to what powers they cause, try visiting the Superpower Wiki for inspiration. Names for God is also a great source. '' ''*Some Names are 'banned' by either the State or Church, these kinds of Names are known as Forbidden Names. *Invocation allows Storytellers and players to 'hijack' the systems of power or magic from other gaming systems and borrow them for use in a Nazoreans story (or they could always make their own). Instead of magic, however, the characters would use the recitation of Holy Names. For instance, Lord of Flames would give a Nazoreans access to powers of fire, etc. '' ''*To Invoke a Name, a Nazorean can either speak the Name or write it down or even draw a symbol representing it. *Anyone who uses invocation is a 'Theist,' although the term is normally used by Nazoreans to refer to other Supernaturals who use invocation. *For alternative Names to use for fun, try using Spoof Names. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Olive Wood Allergy: Nazoreans are allergic to Olive Wood. It causes sever blistering, bleeding, prolonged exposure can cause huge whip-like wounds to appear in their flesh. It is excruciating for Nazoreans to endure all this. It is important to note that the Nazorean's skin must come in contact with the wood. Any barrier, no matter how flimsy, will halt the allergic contact. When a Nazorean does encounter Olive Wood, black veins appear and his skin immediately swells, the nerve endings flare which causes amazing pain, and prolonged exposure causes "whip-like" scars to form on the back and other posterior areas of the body. The reason for this malady is ominous... The Risen & The Diaspora: In every age there is a group of Nazoreans who have asked questions and ended up breaking away from the mainstream church for it. The exact reasons change with every era, but at any given time there is a Diaspora away from the mainstream church over its practices or political alliances. These Nazoreans are called the Risen and they are separated from their brethren along political and practical grounds. Risen are still Nazoreans and share in all their traits (although they have a reputation for using Forbidden Names more than their mainstream brothers and sisters). Considered heretical by the leaders of the mainstream Church, the Risen often go off to found their own churches and groups. In time, of course, those churches gain numbers, become mainstream and eventually end up being the status quo. Then, eventually, fresh Risen break apart from them and start new groups. Many Nazoreans recognize this as the life cycle of churches and accept as part of God's natural order. It would be easy to characterize the Risen as Liberal, and the mainstream Church as Conservative, but this doesn't hold up in real life. Conservative, Liberal and other political titles can be found on both sides of the line between Nazoreans and Risen. The one thing that unites all Risen is that they came across a practice or politics they questioned, and couldn't find an answer for. In time that question forced them to break away from the parent body of Nazoreans. Risen are most likely to function in smaller groups, or as individuals. The recent rise of the 'Religious Nones' has seen their numbers explode, so much so that now there are enough Risen to challenge the traditional members of the Tribe in numbers alone. However, the Risen of today seem less interested in political takeovers than in finding their own path. The Great Families: Around the world there are families descended from the family of Jesus Christ. Those born into these bloodlines often exhibit minor supernatural abilities, especially a talent for prophecy. These are the Great Families, and they have woven themselves into the royal bloodlines, banking families and other important kinship across the world. Most of the branches of the Great Families are wealthy, landed and hold hereditary titles. The Nazoreans honor these families because of their ancestry. When in danger, they will move to help them. Conversely, Nazoreans can often expect help from a Great Family they have befriended. Athanasius and the Early Church: The early Xtrian Church faced several problems early on, plague, persecution, disbelief, heresy. But one of the greatest crises the first church faced was the heresy of Arianism which threatened to destroy the church's core nature, her belief in Christ. Arianism became so problematic that the early church fathers held an entire council at Nicaea to debate the issue once and for all. The pro-Christian faction was spear-headed by a church father who had been chased across the Roman Empire in the name of Christian faith. His name was Athanasius, and much of the saving of Biblical faith is due in no small part to his efforts. What intrigues Adepts so much about this man is his mysterious origins and name. In Greek, the name Athanasius simply means "the Immortal?" Playing A Nazorean: It's important to see Nazoreans as more than just Creators who happen to be Christian. Nazoreans have been fundamentally changed thanks to their link with Jesus of Nazareth. Adepts have imprints of God's Aspects on their souls, but the Nazoreans can be thought of as experiencing a complete and fundamental change to their entire being. And all of that because of their religious affiliation. That kind of thing tends to dominate a person's life, so playing a Nazorean will require being honest and open about one's Xtrian beliefs. Nazoreans & Ghouling: Ghouling, or running a story centered around a troup of Supernaturals, is a staple of Urban Fantasy stories. Nazoreans are perfect for using in Urban Fantasy stories alongside other Supernaturals because they provide people with a legitimate Supernatural who is from heaven but is also a part of the paranormal side of the world. Having a Nazorean interact with other 'monsters' is a great way to explore what exactly it means to be a Nazorean. Urban Fantasy Mythos Video: